Cold treatment: what can a cryotherapy procedure do

Cold exposure strongly stimulates human organs and systems to work more actively. Cold treatment is based on this principle, which has long been practiced as immersion in an ice hole or in snow, applying ice, and today cryotherapy has come to replace it. This procedure has wide medical and cosmetic applications. Cold treatment has an excellent effect in some dermatological diseases, nervous disorders. In aesthetic medicine, cryotherapy is included in the complex treatment of sagging skin and other cosmetic problems.

The main types of cryotherapy and their areas of application

The cryotherapy procedure is divided into two main types – general and local.

The general procedure of cryotherapy usually involves a cold effect on the whole body and is carried out using a cryosauna or cryocapsule. The essence of such cold treatment is that the human body (the area below the shoulders) is exposed for several minutes to the action of a special air mixture, cooled to about minus 140 degrees. This short-term effect on the skin is quite enough to stimulate blood and lymph flow, activate cellular metabolic processes, and start rejuvenation processes in the skin.

The general procedure of cryotherapy is effective for obesity – by stimulating metabolism, fat deposits are reduced. In addition, when the skin is exposed to cold, the hormone leptin, which reduces the feeling of hunger, remains in the blood for a long time.

Local cryotherapy involves the application of liquid nitrogen to specific areas of the skin. Cold treatment with local cryotherapy is used to remove certain types of skin formations (warts, papillomas, hemangiomas), to stimulate vasoconstriction (for telangiectasias), to accelerate skin regeneration in wounds and inflammations.

One of the varieties of local cryotherapy procedure – This is cryomassage using liquid nitrogen. The cryomassage procedure gives a good rejuvenating effect and is applied  in cosmetic face and body care.

Recommendations and contraindications for cryotherapy

Cold treatment is recommended for patients with the following indications:

• skin diseases (such as acne, eczema, psoriasis);
• neurological disorders (insomnia, migraines, chronic fatigue);
• excess body weight;
• cellulite;
• flabbiness of the skin, early wrinkles.

Cryotherapy is absolutely contraindicated in exacerbations of any chronic diseases, especially of the cardiovascular system, and in case of problems with blood vessels (for example, thrombophlebitis), as well as in the presence of recent open wounds on the skin, with cold urticaria and other diseases associated with cold intolerance .

You should refrain from prescribing cryotherapy for any ailments, an increase in temperature or pressure (you need to ask the patient about this), with possible manifestations & nbsp; herpes, respiratory infections. Be sure to find out from the patient if he has a fear of enclosed spaces, if pregnancy is expected.